Rohit dazzles as Mumbai win thriller

Mumbai Indians 142 for 5 (Rohit 73*, Steyn 4-12) beat Deccan Chargers 138 for 9 (Dhawan 41, Christian 39, Munaf 4-20) by five wickets

The fifth edition of the IPL, which got off to a tepid start, finally had a nail-biter as Rohit Sharma hit the last ball of the match for six to seal a cinematic finish for Mumbai Indians against Deccan Chargers, who fought tooth and nail while defending 139. Daniel Christian, not the wisest choice for the final over, as very recent history tells us, dished out two full tosses to Rohit Sharma, including the final ball which was smacked over long-on with three needed.

Earlier, a four-wicket haul by Munaf Patel restricted Deccan Chargers to a below-par 138 for 9, giving Mumbai Indians the chance to record their second win.

In the previous match at the venue, the Chargers were chasing 194. Today, they had first use of the pitch, but in their quest to match that score, lost early wickets. The Chargers held back their overseas batsmen to the middle order, which seemed like a contingency measure in case the top order failed. Munaf nipped out two early wickets, putting pressure on Daniel Christian and the captain Kumar Sangakkara who is himself short of runs.

Shikhar Dhawan eased those nerves, albeit briefly, with towering hits over the on side, smashing four sixes in the region of deep midwicket and square leg. Pragyan Ojha leaked 18 off his first over thanks to Dhawan's onslaught. However, Dhawan failed to read a slower one from Lasith Malinga in the following over and got a leading edge that swirled to Kieron Pollard at point. The Chargers' coach Darren Lehmann was seen consoling Dhawan at the dug-out, seeming to suggest that the well-set batsman should have looked to bat through the innings.

Sangakkara's dismissal, however, came about following ugly scenes of the Mumbai players getting confrontational with the umpires. Munaf bowled a low full toss which Sangakkara shaped to drive, but got an inside edge which shaved the off stump and knocked off the bails. The wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik was standing up close and the ball deflected back to the stumps off his pads, causing confusion as to whether he was legitimately bowled in the first place. The umpires initially gave Sangakkara the benefit of the doubt, choosing not to refer it to the third umpire. The Mumbai players were peeved, particularly Munaf, who flung the ball on the turf as he ambled back to his mark.

A furious Harbhajan marched to the square leg umpire Johan Cloete, who was soon enveloped by Munaf and Karthik, leading to ugly scenes which put the MCC Spirit of Cricket pledge at the opening ceremony to distant memory. A clueless Sangakkara went across to have a word with the umpires but by then, it was as if the umpires were coerced into referring it. In theory, Sangakkara was legitimately out and the umpires should have had the presence of mind to consult. Mumbai's road-rage, though, left a bad taste in the mouth and it makes one wonder how different it could have been had Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai's original captain, been in charge. Tendulkar, unfortunately, was at the dug out, and there was nobody around to defuse the situation.

Cameron White and Christian added a quick 41 for the fifth wicket, smashing four sixes in their stand to boost the Chargers. White looked particularly dangerous, using the crease and smashing the ball with raw power. However, an attempt by Christian to clear the rope led to his dismissal, and Mumbai tightened the noose. Malinga and Pollard ran through the lower order to restrict the Chargers to an underwhelming total.